Awesome combo! Since writing this post, I’ve also started cooking the chicken carcasses first, for a couple hours or so, and adding the veggies in for only 30 minutes – an hour at the end. The taste of the veggies is better this way – cooked too long, they can add bitterness to the stock. Give it a try next time!

So glad you liked it!

Ok, I broke down and bought a bunch of celery and carrots, had an onion. I forgot to chop up the onion nd use it though. I made it and I ended up with 4 full quart jars and a pint jar of broth. While the 4 quarts were in my Nesco canner, I drank the remaining pint. It was so good…

Yup, that absolutely works!

So glad you liked it!

Frozen is fine!

Thank you!

I’m not super picky about it, I use a whole chicken carcass usually for a crockpot that’s 8 qt. capacity. The more bones you add the more flavor you will get. But personally, I try not to think about it too much, since you can always boost the flavor of anything you’re cooking with the broth later on!

I love that vinegar tip! I just tried it after reading your comment and the broth was a lot thicker! I used apple cider vinegar for mine. Thanks so much!

Food stored in the freezer should actually be “safe” to eat indefinitely (according to the USDA). The worry about freezing for a long time is freezer burn, which can affect the taste. I’d say use frozen chicken broth within 1 year max, or more preferably 6 months, personally. Hope that helps!

Yes, I almost always do this! It does work, with one caveat: if you boiled a chicken in water for chicken soup for a long time, much of the collagen from the skin and bones has already been used in the soup. While the bones and carcass from a previously boiled chicken will lend flavor to stock and can be used again, the stock won’t be quite as thick and rich as with bones from a roasted chicken. Hope that helps!

This is excellent information- thanks so much for taking the time to share this!

Thanks so much for this awesome tip! My freezer always gets so crowded, so this is a great alternative.

Of course! Save those bones! When we have roasted chicken thighs or drumsticks for dinner, I have my whole family save their bones and make sure they go into the stock bag. Do you think it’s gross because people have eaten off of the bones? Don’t worry- any germs will be killed when you boil the stock. The only thing you want to consider is the seasoning that was on the chicken – if it was a simple seasoning, go ahead and save them. If it was something like buffalo or BBQ, it may not be as good for stock since you don’t want those flavors in stock usually. Hope that helps!